Publications
IfM Bonn publishes its research findings primarily in its publication series: study results are published as "IfM-Materials" - or in condensed form as a "Denkpapier" (summary). Statistical analyses and results appear in the series "Daten und Fakten". Discussion and technical papers from all research areas are published as "Working Papers".
In addition, until 2012 selected articles were published in the series "Schriften zur Mittelstandsforschung" (Gabler Verlag). Under the "External Publications" tab, you find numerous essays by IfM researchers that have appeared in (peer-reviewed) specialist journals and external publication series.
581 Results
External publication | 2025 Social Innovation and Social Digitalisation
The last few years have seen a growing awareness in society and politics that technological innovations alone aren't enough to tackle major social challenges like climate change or an ageing population.
External publication | 2025 Challenges in the water industry require innovative solutions
Germany will face more frequent regional and seasonal water shortages in the future. Conflicts over water use between different users are therefore to be expected, but these can be mitigated through innovation.
IfM-Materialien | 2025 Policy approaches to speed up and simplify commercial building permit procedures
Even though the building permit process can vary greatly from case to case, its length and complexity is often perceived by companies as a burden and an obstacle to investment.
External publication | 2025 Rooting so we can flow: Weaving the Fabric of Transformational Scholarship in Entrepreneurship
Contemporary permacrises have enhanced calls for a re-thinking of entrepreneurship scholarship.
Chartbooks | 2025 Dealing with bureaucracy in plant and mechanical engineering companies
Bureaucracy is important for companies because it gives them legal certainty and planning security. But it seems that it has been reached in Germany a point where companies perceive bureaucracy primarily as a burden – despite the many measures taken in recent years to reduce bureaucracy.
Policy Brief "Entrepreneurship in Focus" | 2025 Artificial intelligence in the skilled trades
The use of artificial intelligence in skilled trades is on the rise, but there is still potential for improvement.
External publication | 2025 Entrepreneurship Education II. Curricular approaches, skill orientation, content analysis
This anthology addresses a broad spectrum of didactic factors of entrepreneurship education in the context of economic education in a theoretically sound manner.
External publication | 2025 Report on Research, Innovation and Technological Performance in Germany 2025
The Expert Commission wants to use its 2025 annual report to solve the challenges mentioned from an innovation economics and R&I policy perspective.
External publication | 2025 Report on Research, Innovation and Technological Performance in Germany 2024
The 2024 Annual Report of the Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation should be read against the background of this tension between multiple current crises on the one hand and long-term transformation requirements on the other.
External publication | 2025 Report on Research, Innovation and Technological Performance in Germany 2023
The Commission of Experts’ Annual Report 2023 contains several proposals for new governance structures.
External publication | 2025 Bureaucracy costs of companies in the mechanical and plant engineering industries – follow-up study 2025
This study analyses the bureaucratic burden caused by regulations of the EU, central government, federal states and municipalities in the German machinery and equipment manufacturing industry.
External publication | 2025 European SMEs, Corporate Finance, and Economic Resilience to Floods
The authors investigate how the debt-to-equity ratio and maturity structure of SMEs influence their resilience to flood disasters.
IfM-Materialien | 2025 The financing situation of young businesses - a gender specific analysis
The authors analyse in their publication the question, if the use of some sources of financing depends on whether the management of a young business is female.
Working Papers | 2025 Climate risk perceptions of businesses: the role of experience and objective risk factors
Based on data from a large-scale survey of German businesses, it is investigated how businesses assess the acute physical climate risk presented by the increased frequency of natural hazards: droughts, storms, extreme heat, heavy precipitation, and floods.
IfM-Materialien | 2025 Practice checks - an effective instrument for reducing bureaucratic burdens?
Companies have long complained about many regulations' lack of proportionality and practicability.
External publication | 2025 Public childcare – a neglected element of entrepreneurship ecosystems?
The authors explore in their chapter the impact of public childcare provision on women’s and men’s start-up activities in Germany.
External publication | 2025 Legitimacy of women entrepreneurs: forced to behave according to rules?
The authors analyse in their contribution whether female entrepreneurs behave strategically differently to their male counterparts when dealing with bureaucracy.
External publication | 2025 How women-led businesses fared in the Covid-19 pandemic
Have women-led businesses been more impaired by the coronavirus pandemic than men-led businesses? Did female entrepreneurs use support measures to the same extent as their male counterparts?
Working Papers | 2024 Being the boss at work and at home – Self-employment and conflicts between partners
The self-employed are their own bosses and make independent decisions on how to achieve their goals
Chartbooks | 2024 Mittelstand Future Panel 2024: Companies struggle with competitive pressure, bureaucracy and business conditions
The IfM Bonn researchers asked again company managers to take part in the Future Panel Mittelstand in 2024.